CN110894662A

CN110894662A - Clothes treating apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN110894662A
Application number: CN201910778140.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 姜孝贞; 柳焕灿; 安俊熙
Original assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Current assignee: LG Electronics Inc
Priority date: 2018-08-22
Filing date: 2019-08-22
Publication date: 2020-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-22
Also published as: AU2019324302B2; EP3613887A1; US20200063322A1; US11236456B2; AU2019324302A1; CN110894662B; EP3613887B1; WO2020040555A1; KR102560668B1; KR20200022279A

Abstract

The present invention discloses a laundry treating apparatus, comprising: a voice recognition unit coupled to one of the cabinet and the door to receive a user's voice and convert the voice into an input signal for driving the laundry accommodating part; and a shielding part coupled to at least one of the cabinet and the door to prevent vibration or sound waves generated by or transmitted to the cabinet from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit.

Description

Clothes treating apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a laundry treating apparatus.

Background

Generally, a laundry treating apparatus refers to an apparatus capable of washing or drying laundry or washing and drying laundry. Here, the laundry treating apparatus may perform only a washing or drying function, or may perform both the washing and drying functions. Recently, a washing machine capable of performing a refresh function of removing creases, smell, static electricity, etc. by a steam supplier has been introduced.

The conventional laundry treating apparatus is equipped with a control panel provided on a front surface or a top surface of the cabinet to receive a manipulation command from a user. The control panel is provided with a plurality of input parts for operating the laundry treating apparatus so that the laundry treating apparatus can perform a washing or drying course.

The input part may be provided with a rotary switch, a button, or a touch panel, which receives any one of processes or options performed by the laundry treating apparatus from a user. The control panel may transmit a command for performing a course or an option input to the input part to the controller to operate the laundry treating apparatus according to the setting of the course or the option.

Recently, there has been a laundry treating apparatus including a voice recognition unit installed in an input part such that the voice recognition unit recognizes a user's voice to replace a physical input with voice, such as an input through a rotary switch, a button, or a touch pad.

In this way, the user can control the laundry treating apparatus without physically contacting the laundry treating apparatus, so that user convenience and space utilization can be maximized.

However, such a speech recognition unit is very sensitive to vibrations, since the speech recognition unit has been configured to receive vibrations generated by sound waves. Therefore, if vibration occurs while the drum of the laundry treating apparatus is rotated or water supply or drainage is performed in the laundry treating apparatus, there is a problem in that the voice recognition unit cannot accurately recognize the voice of the user.

Therefore, when the conventional laundry treating apparatus is operated, the recognition level of the voice recognition unit is lowered.

In addition, even when vibration generated from the outside is transmitted to the conventional laundry treating apparatus, it is difficult for the voice recognition unit to correctly recognize the voice of the user.

Therefore, whenever the user controls the laundry treating apparatus by voice, it is inconvenient for the user to confirm whether the voice recognition unit has correctly recognized the user's voice.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a laundry treating apparatus that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a laundry treating apparatus including a voice recognition unit for receiving a control command through a user's voice, capable of preventing or attenuating vibration or external force generated from the inside of the laundry treating apparatus from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a laundry treating apparatus capable of preventing or attenuating vibration generated from an outside of the laundry treating apparatus from being transmitted to a voice recognition unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a laundry treating apparatus capable of improving reliability by accurately recognizing a user's voice.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a laundry treating apparatus includes: a cabinet forming an external appearance of the laundry treating apparatus and including an opening for inputting laundry; a laundry accommodating part provided in the cabinet to perform one of washing and drying of laundry; a door coupled to the cabinet to open and close the opening; a voice recognition unit coupled to one of the cabinet and the door to receive a user's voice and convert the voice into an input signal for driving the laundry accommodating part; and a shielding part coupled to at least one of the cabinet and the door to prevent vibration or sound waves generated by or transmitted to the cabinet from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit.

The shielding portion may include: a mounting unit coupled to any one of the door and the cabinet to accommodate the voice recognition unit; a cover coupled to a front side of the mounting unit to shield the voice recognition unit; and a through hole configured to penetrate the cover to transmit voice to the voice recognition unit.

The voice recognition unit may include a microphone configured to receive voice and a printed circuit board Panel (PCB) panel coupled to the microphone to convert the voice into the input signal. The cover may be configured to closely contact a front side of the PCB panel. The through hole may be configured to penetrate the cover at a position corresponding to the microphone.

The shielding portion may include: a mounting unit coupled to the cabinet or the door to accommodate at least a portion of the voice recognition unit; and a damper provided between the mounting unit and the voice recognition unit to prevent sound waves or vibrations from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit.

The vibration damper may include a vibration damping damper coupled to the mounting unit and configured to be pressed on a rear surface of the voice recognition unit.

The shock absorber may further include: an auxiliary damper coupled to the mounting unit to damp vibration; and a vibration damping damper coupled to the auxiliary damper to support a rear surface of the voice recognition unit.

The auxiliary damper may include: connecting portions coupled to one side and the other side of the mounting unit; and a fastening portion configured to connect the plurality of connection portions to each other and to be separated from the mounting unit. The vibration damper may include: a damper body configured to accommodate the fastening portion; and a fastener hole configured to be penetrated by the fastening part at both ends of the damper body so that the damper body and the fastening part are coupled.

The vibration damper may be formed of: the material changes the shape of the vibration damper when an external force or vibration is provided and restores the shape of the vibration damper when the external force or vibration is no longer provided. .

The sealing damper may include: a sealing body configured to be received in the mounting unit; and an accommodating groove provided in the sealing body to entirely accommodate the voice recognition unit, the accommodating groove corresponding to a shape and a thickness of the voice recognition unit. The sealing damper may further include a separation prevention protrusion protruding from one side of the receiving groove toward an inner surface of the receiving groove to fix a position of the voice recognition unit.

The sealing damper may be formed of a material that changes a shape of the sealing damper if an external force is applied and restores the shape of the sealing damper if the external force is removed.

The vibration damper may further include a space maintainer configured to maintain a separated state between the voice recognition unit and the mounting unit.

The space maintainer may include any one of a connection spring coupled to a rear surface of the voice recognition unit and coupled to the mounting unit, and a connection damper coupled to a rear surface of the voice recognition unit and coupled to the mounting unit to damp vibration.

The space maintainer may further include fixing lines coupled to both ends of the voice recognition unit and coupled to the mounting unit to provide tension to the voice recognition unit.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

fig. 1A and 1B illustrate the appearances of a laundry treating apparatus and a voice recognition unit according to the present invention;

fig. 2A and 2B show a structure in which a voice recognition unit and a shielding portion are coupled according to the present invention;

fig. 3A and 3B illustrate the function of the shielding part according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a shielding section according to the invention;

fig. 5A to 5C illustrate an assembly process of the shield part of fig. 4;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate another embodiment of a shield portion according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows yet another embodiment of a shield portion according to the present invention; and

fig. 8 shows an internal structure of a laundry treating apparatus according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The configuration of the apparatus or the control method disclosed herein are only for explaining the embodiments of the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. In addition, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the specification to refer to the same or like parts.

Fig. 1A and 1B illustrate the appearances of a laundry treating apparatus and a voice recognition unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may include: a cabinet 10, the cabinet 10 forming an external appearance of the laundry treating apparatus 1 and including an opening 15 for inputting laundry; and a door 30, the door 30 being coupled to the cabinet 10 to open and close the opening 15. The cabinet 10 may be provided with a laundry accommodating part, which will be described later, and the laundry accommodating part may be configured to perform at least one of washing and drying of laundry inside the cabinet 10.

The cabinet 10 may further include a front panel 11 forming a front surface of the laundry treating apparatus 1 and side panels 12 forming side surfaces of the laundry treating apparatus 1. The opening 15 may be configured in such a way as to penetrate the front panel 11 of the laundry treating apparatus 1. This configuration is obviously only one embodiment of the invention and does not exclude the provision of the opening 15 on the top side of the laundry treatment apparatus 1.

The laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may further include: an input part 50, the input part 50 for receiving a command for enabling the laundry treating apparatus 1 to perform at least one of washing and drying; and a control panel 20, the control panel 20 including a controller for receiving a command input through the input part 50 and transmitting the command to enable the laundry treating apparatus 1 to perform washing or drying.

The input part 50 may be provided with at least one of buttons, knobs, and a touch pad so that a user may physically touch the input part 50, and the input part 50 may be configured to receive commands corresponding to various processes and options that the laundry treating apparatus 1 may perform.

In addition to the input part 50, the laundry treating apparatus 10 of the present invention may further include a voice recognition unit 300, the voice recognition unit 300 being configured to receive the voice of the user and match the course and option corresponding to the voice. The voice recognition unit 300 may be implemented as a microphone electrically connected to the control panel 20. The voice recognition unit 300 may be implemented as a separate Printed Circuit Board (PCB) panel on which a microphone is mounted to recognize a user's voice even though power is not supplied to the controller 20 provided in the control panel 20.

The voice recognition unit 300 may be desirably configured to be exposed to the outside of the laundry treating apparatus 1 as much as possible. This is because it is difficult to accurately receive the user's voice when the voice recognition unit 300 is disposed in the housing 10.

Generally, the user generates a voice in front of the laundry treating apparatus 1 or at a side of the laundry treating apparatus 1. In this case, the voice recognition unit 300 is desirably disposed at the front side of the laundry treating apparatus 1 to collect and receive voice to the maximum. Therefore, the voice recognition unit 300 may be provided on any one of the door 30 and the front panel 11 of the cabinet 10.

The voice recognition unit 300 is very sensitive to vibration because the voice recognition unit 300 is configured to receive minute vibration such as sound waves and recognize a voice signal. In this case, if vibration generated when the laundry treating apparatus 1 is operated is initially transferred to the voice recognition unit 300, or when noise generated from the outside of the laundry treating apparatus 1 reaches the voice recognition unit 300, the voice recognition unit 300 may respond to the vibration or the noise, and thus the voice recognition unit 300 is likely not to correctly distinguish or recognize the user's voice.

Therefore, the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may further include: a shielding part 200, the shielding part 200 being configured to prevent vibration or sound waves other than the user's voice from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300.

The shielding part 200 may include: a mounting unit 210, the mounting unit 210 being coupled to any one of the door and the cabinet on which the voice recognition unit is mounted to accommodate at least a portion of the voice recognition unit 300; a cover 230 coupled to a front side of the mounting unit 210 to shield the voice recognition unit 300; and a through hole 231, the through hole 231 configured to penetrate the cover 230 to transmit voice to the voice recognition unit 300.

In this way, the user's voice may be transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300 through the through hole 231, and the cover 230 and the mounting unit 210 may prevent or attenuate external vibration or vibration generated from the laundry treating apparatus 1 from reaching the voice recognition unit 300. As a result, the accuracy and reliability of recognizing the user's voice by the voice recognition unit 300 can be greatly improved.

Fig. 1A shows an embodiment in which the voice recognition unit 300 is provided on the front panel 11, and fig. 1B shows an embodiment in which the voice recognition unit 300 is provided on the door 30.

Referring to fig. 1A, the door 30 is configured to open and close the opening 15. The door 30 may shield a portion of the front panel 11, and the input portion 50 may be provided on the door 30.

The door 30 may include a door frame 32, the door frame 32 configured to be removably attached to the opening 15. The mounting unit 210 in which the voice recognition unit 300 is mounted may be disposed at the front side of the front panel 11.

The mounting unit 210 may be recessed from the front panel 11 to form a housing in which at least a portion of the voice recognition unit 300 is accommodated.

The cover 230 is coupled to the front side of the door frame 32 to shield the opening 15. The cover 230 may be disposed at a front side of the mounting unit 210 to shield the voice recognition unit 300 and may be provided with a through hole 231 to communicate with the mounting unit 210.

The user's voice may pass through the through-hole 231 and then reach the voice recognition unit 300. The mounting unit 210 may prevent or attenuate vibration generated from the laundry treating apparatus from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300, and the cover 230 may prevent or attenuate vibration generated from the outside from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300. Although the voice recognition unit 300 is provided on the front panel 11, the shielding part 200 of the laundry treating apparatus 1 of the present invention may be provided on the door 30 and may also be provided on the front panel 11, so that various vibrations and sound waves may be shielded from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300.

Referring to fig. 1B, the door 30 is configured to open and close the opening 15 and shield most of the front panel 11. In other words, the door 30 may be configured to form a front surface of the cabinet 10. The input portion 50 may be disposed on the top surface of the cabinet 10.

The door 30 may include a door frame 32, and the door frame 32 includes a rear frame 322 configured to be contactable with the opening 15 and a front frame 321 disposed at a front side of the rear frame 322. The mounting unit 210 in which the voice recognition unit 300 is mounted may be disposed at a front side of the front frame 321.

The mounting unit 210 may be provided on the front frame 321 in the shape of a housing accommodating at least a portion of the voice recognition unit 300 or in the shape of a hole configured to penetrate the front frame 321.

The cover 230 is coupled to the front side of the front frame 321 to shield the opening 15. The cover 230 is disposed at the front of the mounting unit 210 to shield the voice recognition unit 300 and may be provided with a through hole 231 to communicate with the mounting unit 210.

An upper side of the rear frame 322 may be coupled to the control panel 20, and the control panel 20 may be configured to be electrically connected to the voice recognition unit 300.

Therefore, when the door 30 opens the opening 15, the control panel 20 is exposed to the outside, so that it is easy to repair and install the control panel 20.

Fig. 2A and 2B show a structure in which the voice recognition unit 300 and the shielding portion 200 are coupled.

Even if the voice recognition unit 300 does not directly contact the door 30 or the cabinet 10 by configuring the mounting unit 210, the vibration transmitted to the mounting unit 210 can be sufficiently transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300.

Referring to fig. 2A, the shielding part 200 of the present invention may further include a damper 220 disposed between the mounting unit 210 and the voice recognition unit 300 to shield sound waves or vibrations generated from the laundry receiving part from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300.

The vibration damper 220 may be coupled to or accommodated in the mounting unit 210 to absorb or attenuate vibration transmitted to the mounting unit 210. Specifically, the damper 220 may be formed of a material having a shape that is changed when an external force or vibration is transmitted, but is restored to an original form when the external force or vibration is removed. For example, the damper 220 may be made of a material such as sponge or rubber.

Referring to fig. 2B, the voice recognition unit 300 is configured such that its rear surface closely contacts the damper 220. When the voice recognition unit 300 is inserted into the mounting unit 210, the voice recognition unit 300 may be configured to press the damper 220.

The cover 230 may be coupled to the front side of the mounting unit 210 to shield the mounting unit 210, thereby fixing the voice recognition unit 300.

Fig. 3A and 3B illustrate the function of the shielding part 200 according to the present invention.

Referring to fig. 3A, the voice recognition unit 300 may be accommodated in the mounting unit 210 and may closely contact the damper 220. The voice recognition unit 300 may be shielded by the cover 230 and may be fixed to the laundry treating apparatus 1.

The voice recognition unit 300 may include a microphone 320 to receive voice and a PCB panel 310 coupled to the microphone 320 to convert the voice into an input signal. Accordingly, the cover 230 may be configured to closely contact the front side of the PCB panel 310, and the through hole 231 may be configured to penetrate the cover 230 at a position corresponding to the microphone 320.

As such, even though the cover 230 is configured to closely contact the PCB panel 310, the microphone 320 is exposed to the outside through the through hole 231 to receive the user's voice. In addition, the mounting unit 210 may prevent vibration or sound waves transmitted from the inside of the laundry treating apparatus 1 from leaking to the outside of the laundry treating apparatus 1, thereby preventing unnecessary vibration or sound waves from being transmitted to the microphone 320.

Referring to fig. 3B, vibration, external force, and impact generated from the inside of the laundry treating apparatus 1 due to water supply, water drainage, or rotation of a drum to be described later may be transmitted to the damper 220. In this case, the surface shape of the shock absorber 220 may be changed according to vibration, external force, and impact. The vibration absorber 220 attenuates or absorbs all vibrations or external forces, thereby substantially preventing unnecessary vibrations or external forces from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the shielding part according to the invention.

Referring to fig. 4, the vibration damper 220 may include a vibration damper 221 coupled to the mounting unit 210d and configured to be pressed from a rear surface of the voice recognition unit 300.

One or more vibration dampers 221 may closely contact the rear surface of the PCB panel 310 to absorb vibration or external force transmitted to the mounting unit 210, thereby preventing the vibration or external force from being transmitted to the microphone 320.

The shock absorber 220 may further include an auxiliary damper 222 coupled to the mounting unit 210 to damp vibration transmitted to the mounting unit 210.

The auxiliary damper 222 may be coupled to the mounting unit 210, but one side thereof is configured to be separated from the mounting unit 210 such that the auxiliary damper 222 vibrates differently from the mounting unit 210. That is, if the mounting unit 210 vibrates, the auxiliary damper 222 vibrates by inertia, so that the auxiliary damper 222 may vibrate at a period and width different from those of the vibration transmitted to the mounting unit 210. In this way, the auxiliary damper 222 may primarily attenuate the vibration transmitted to the mounting unit 210. Then, the vibration damper 221 coupled to the auxiliary damper 220 absorbs only the vibration that has been primarily attenuated, thereby absorbing all the vibration transmitted to the vibration damper 221.

Accordingly, the shielding part 200 may effectively cancel or attenuate the vibration transmitted from the laundry accommodating part.

A plurality of auxiliary dampers 222 may be provided. The auxiliary dampers may be symmetrically disposed at the rear surface of the PCB panel. The vibration damping dampers 221 may be configured to be coupled to the respective auxiliary dampers 222.

Fig. 5A to 5C illustrate an assembly process of the shield part of fig. 4.

Referring to fig. 5A, the mounting unit 210 may be configured to be coupled to the auxiliary damper 222. Obviously, the auxiliary damper 222 may be provided to be unified with the mounting unit 210.

Specifically, the auxiliary damper 222 may include a connection portion 222a coupled to either one of one side and the other side of the mounting unit 210 and a fastening portion 222b formed to connect the connection portions 222a to each other and configured to be separated from the bottom surface of the mounting unit 210.

The connection portion 222a may be provided with a material different from that of the mounting unit 210. Specifically, the connecting portion 222a may be provided with an elastic material that is expandable and contractible along the length.

The auxiliary damper 222 may be thinned from the connection portion 222a toward the center thereof. In this way, after the vibration transmitted to the auxiliary damper 222 is absorbed or damped in the connection portion 222a, the vibration may be transmitted to the fastening portion 222 b.

Referring to fig. 5B, the vibration damping dampers 221 may be coupled to the auxiliary dampers 222, respectively. The vibration damping damper 221 may include a damper body 221a for receiving the fastening portion 222b, and fastener holes 221b at both ends of the damper body 221a, the fastener holes 221b being configured to be penetrated by the fastening portion 222b to couple the damper body and the fastening portion. The damper body 221a may be provided with a side that is cut such that the damper body 221a may be coupled to the auxiliary damper 222 through the fastener hole 221b in a state of accommodating the outer circumference of the auxiliary damper 222.

The damper body 221a may be provided in a cylindrical shape. The damper main body 221a may be provided with a material that changes its shape if external force or vibration is supplied and restores its shape if external force or vibration is removed. For example, the damper body 221a may be made of a material such as sponge.

Referring to fig. 5C, the voice recognition unit 300 may be coupled to the damper body 221a in a state in which the damper body 221a is pressed by the outside of the damper body 221 a.

In this case, both ends of the PCB panel 310 may further include coupling holes 312, and fastening members 330 such as bolts may be fastened to the coupling holes 312. The fastening member 330 may be fixed to the mounting unit 210 by passing through the coupling hole 312, thereby fixing the PCB panel 310 to the mounting unit 210.

In this case, the fastening member 330 may further bring the PCB panel 310 into close contact with the damper body 221 a. Then, the side surface of the PCB panel 310 and the rear surface of the PCB panel 310 are in close contact with the damper body 221a, thereby preventing vibration generated in various directions from being transmitted to the PCB panel 310.

Fig. 6A and 6B illustrate another embodiment of the shielding portion 200.

Referring to fig. 6A, the voice recognition unit 300 may be configured to be completely accommodated in the shielding portion 200. That is, the shielding portion 200 may be coupled to be entirely accommodated in the mounting unit 210 and may include a sealing damper 223 for accommodating all the outer circumference of the voice recognition unit 300.

In this way, vibrations in various directions transmitted to the mounting unit 210 are prevented from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300.

Referring to fig. 6B, the sealing damper 223 may include a sealing body 223a coupled to the mounting unit 210 and a receiving groove 223B corresponding to the shape and thickness of the voice recognition unit 300 and disposed in the sealing body 223a to completely receive the voice recognition unit 300.

In addition, the sealing damper 223 may further include a separation prevention protrusion 223d protruding from one side of the receiving groove 223b toward an inner surface of the receiving groove 223b to fix the position of the voice recognition unit 300.

In this way, the separation prevention protrusion 223d may prevent the position of the voice recognition unit 300 in the accommodation groove 223b from being changed or deviated due to vibration transmitted to the mounting unit 210.

Specifically, the receiving groove 223b may be configured to have a depth deeper than the thickness of the PCB panel 310, and the separation preventing protrusion 223d may be configured such that a thickness between a lower surface thereof and a bottom surface of the receiving groove 223b corresponds to the thickness of the PCB panel 310 and is smaller than the thickness of the PCB panel 310.

The sealing damper 233 may further include a cover supporter 223c configured to protrude from the sealing body 233a to support the cover 230.

A plurality of supports 223c may be provided, and the plurality of supports 223c may be disposed at each edge of the sealing body 233 a. Therefore, even if the cover 230 is formed to closely contact the voice recognition unit 300, it is possible to prevent the vibration transmitted to the cover 230 from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300.

Although fig. 6B shows that the cover support 223c is provided at the sealing main body 233a, the cover support 223c may be provided in all of the above embodiments.

That is, the damper 220 of the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention may further include a cover support 233c contacting the cover 230 and supporting the cover 230.

Fig. 7 shows yet another embodiment of the shielding part 230 according to the present invention.

The vibration damper 220 may further include a space maintainer 224, the space maintainer 224 being configured to maintain a separated state between the voice recognition unit 300 and the mounting unit 210. The space maintainer 224 may be configured to separate the mounting unit 210 from the rear surface of the voice recognition unit 300, but still connect the voice recognition unit 300 to the mounting unit 210.

Specifically, the space maintainer 224 may include any one of a connection spring 224a and a connection damper 224b, the connection spring 224a being coupled to the rear surface of the voice recognition unit 300 and also to the mounting unit 210, the connection damper 224b being coupled to the rear surface of the voice recognition unit 300 and also to the mounting unit 210 to damp vibration.

The space maintainer 224 may further include a fixing line 224c coupled to both ends of the voice recognition unit 300 and also coupled to the mounting unit 210 to provide tension to the voice recognition unit 300.

As such, the connection springs 224a may be configured to be compressed to provide a force for pushing the PCB panel 310 to the outside, and the fixing wires 224c are configured to provide a tension force for offsetting the force pushed by the connection springs 224a, so that the PCB panel 310 may be maintained at a correct position.

The connection springs 224a and the connection dampers 224b separate the PCB panel 310 from the mounting unit 210 to shield the PCB panel 310 from direct contact of vibration transmitted to the mounting unit 210. The fixing wire 224c may provide tension so that the PCB panel 310 may be restored to a correct position even if vibration is transmitted to the PCB panel 310.

The connection damper 224b may immediately attenuate vibration provided to the PCB panel 310 to eliminate vibration or external force applied to the PCB panel 310.

Fig. 8 shows an internal structure in which the laundry treating apparatus of the present invention is configured as a washing apparatus.

Referring to fig. 8, the laundry receiving part of the laundry treating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a tub 80, the tub 80 including a space provided within the cabinet 10 to store water, and further including an inlet part 81 communicating with the opening 15, a drum 90 rotatably installed in the tub 80 to receive laundry, and a driving unit 95 provided at a rear surface of the tub 80 to rotate the drum 90.

The laundry treating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a water supply part 85 for supplying water to the tub 80, a water discharge part 86 for discharging water of the tub 80 to the outside of the cabinet 10, and a circulation part 87 for circulating the water of the tub 80.

The water supply part 85 may include a water supply pipe 851 connected to an external water supply source to supply water to the tub 80, a cartridge housing 852 for communicating with one end of the water supply pipe 851 and accommodating the detergent box 40, and a supply pipe 853 for connecting the cartridge housing 852 to one side of the tub 80 to supply at least one of water or detergent to the tub 80.

The cartridge case 852 may receive the detergent box 40 as a space for mixing the detergent received in the detergent box 40 with the water supplied from the water supply pipe 851.

The drain part 86 may include a drain pipe 861 for draining the water of the tub 80 and a drain pump 862 for providing power to drain the water injected into the drain pipe 861 to the outside of the cabinet 10.

The circulation part 87 may include a circulation pipe 871 for guiding the water injected into the drain pipe 861 to the tub 80 again, and a circulation pump 872 for communicating with the circulation pipe 871 and supplying power flowing into the circulation pipe 871.

The three-way valve 873 may be provided at a portion where the circulation pipe 871 and the drain pipe 861 are connected, and the filter 874 may be configured to filter foreign substances from the water discharged from the tub 80.

The driving unit 95 may include a stator fixed to the rear surface of the tub 80 to generate a rotating magnetic field, a rotor rotated by the stator, and a rotating shaft for connecting the rotor to the rear surface of the drum 90.

However, unlike fig. 8, the driving unit 95 may include a motor, a driving pulley rotated by the motor, a driven pulley for rotating a rotation shaft connected to the rear surface of the drum 90, and a belt.

The tub 80 may be secured to the cabinet by a support structure 88.

The support structure 88 may include a suspension bracket 881 coupled to the rear surface of the tub 80 and also coupled to the driving unit 95, and a plurality of dampers 882 connecting the suspension bracket 881 to the bottom surface of the cabinet 10.

Although not shown in fig. 8, a plurality of springs for supporting the tub 80 may be further provided.

The support structure 88 may have any structure if such a structure can support the tub 80 inside the cabinet 10 to damp vibration.

When water is supplied to the water supply part 85, when the water discharge part 86 or the circulation part 85 operates, or when the driving unit 95 is driven, vibration may be generated in the laundry treating apparatus 1.

In this case, the above-described shielding part 200 can prevent vibration of the laundry treating apparatus 1 from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit 300, thereby greatly improving the reliability of the voice recognition unit 300.

As apparent from the foregoing description, the present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus including a voice recognition unit capable of improving reliability by accurately receiving a user's voice.

The present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus capable of performing a control command desired by a user by accurately recognizing a user's voice even when the laundry treating apparatus is operated.

The present invention provides a laundry treating apparatus capable of accurately recognizing a user's voice even when an external force is generated from the outside of the laundry treating apparatus.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A laundry treating apparatus, comprising:

a cabinet forming an external appearance of the laundry treating apparatus and including an opening for inputting laundry;

a laundry accommodating part provided in the cabinet to perform one of washing and drying of laundry;

a door coupled to the cabinet to open and close the opening;

a voice recognition unit coupled to one of the cabinet and the door to receive a user's voice and convert the voice into an input signal for driving the laundry accommodating part; and

a shielding portion coupled to at least one of the cabinet and the door to prevent vibration or sound waves generated by or transmitted to the cabinet from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit.

2. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding part includes:

a mounting unit coupled to any one of the door and the cabinet to accommodate the voice recognition unit;

a cover coupled to a front side of the mounting unit to shield the voice recognition unit; and

a through hole configured to penetrate the cover to transmit the voice to the voice recognition unit.

3. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the voice recognition unit includes a microphone configured to receive the voice and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) panel coupled to the microphone to convert the voice into the input signal,

wherein the cover is configured to closely contact a front side of the PCB panel, and

wherein the through hole is configured to penetrate the cover at a position corresponding to the microphone.

4. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding part includes:

a mounting unit coupled to the cabinet or the door to accommodate at least a portion of the voice recognition unit; and

a damper provided between the mounting unit and the voice recognition unit to prevent the sound waves or vibrations from being transmitted to the voice recognition unit.

5. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the vibration damper includes a vibration damping damper coupled to the mounting unit and configured to be pressed on a rear surface of the voice recognition unit.

6. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the damper further comprises:

an auxiliary damper coupled to the mounting unit to damp the vibration; and

a vibration damping damper coupled to the auxiliary damper to support a rear surface of the voice recognition unit.

7. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the auxiliary damper includes:

a plurality of connection portions coupled to an inner surface of the mounting unit to face each other; and

a fastening portion configured to connect the plurality of connection portions to each other and to be separated from the mounting unit, and

wherein the vibration damper includes:

a damper body configured to accommodate the fastening portion; and

a fastener hole configured to be penetrated by the fastening part at both ends of the damper body so that the damper body and the fastening part are coupled.

8. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the vibration-damping damper is formed of: the material changes the shape of the vibration damper when an external force or vibration is provided and restores the shape of the vibration damper when the external force or vibration is no longer provided.

9. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the vibration damper includes a sealing damper coupled to the mounting unit to accommodate the voice recognition unit.

10. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sealing damper includes:

a sealing body configured to be received in the mounting unit; and

an accommodating groove provided in the sealing body to entirely accommodate the voice recognition unit, the accommodating groove corresponding to a shape and a thickness of the voice recognition unit.

11. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 10, the sealing damper further comprising a separation prevention protrusion protruding from one side of the receiving groove toward an inner surface of the receiving groove to fix a position of the voice recognition unit.

12. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sealing damper is formed of: the material changes the shape of the sealed damper when an external force is applied and restores the shape of the sealed damper when the external force is removed.

13. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the vibration damper further comprises a space maintainer configured to maintain a separated state between the voice recognition unit and the mounting unit.

14. The laundry treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said interval maintainer comprises at least any one of:

a connection spring coupled to a rear surface of the voice recognition unit and to the mounting unit; and

a connection damper coupled to a rear surface of the voice recognition unit and to the mounting unit to damp vibration.

15. The laundry treating apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the space maintainer further includes fixing lines coupled to both ends of the voice recognition unit and to the mounting unit to provide tension to the voice recognition unit.